The Matra-Simca Rancho was a crossover that appeared in 1977, decades before anyone had thought up the term. Back then, it was known as a “lifestyle” vehicle, and in many ways, it set the ...

According to Simca Club UK, the Rancho tried to appeal to buyers who wanted a Range Rover but couldn't afford one.In 1978 it undercut the Rover by a good margin, starting at £5,670 versus the ...

Before there was the Rancho, there was its compact car ancestor: the Simca 1100, which went into production in 1967. A compact, affordable car, the 1100 was a handy runabout that came in a very ...

One of the models that could serve as a candidate for the very first crossover is the Matra Rancho, a car-based, modestly-priced, Range Rover-inspired "leisure activity vehicle" produced in ...

While never available in North America, the Matra-Simca Rancho is too bizarre (and too awesome) not to share. Despite its rough-and-tumble looks, the Rancho was what we'd now consider to be a ...

It’s a real pity as the ultra-cool, Talbot-Simca-Peugeot-Chrysler-Matra Rancho deserved a much more fruitful life. It paved the way for the cars we know today, in more ways than one!

Right now, off-roaders (also known, amusingly, as Sports Utility Vehicles - SUVs) are hot property. There's a whiff of political incorrectness about them, but millions of buyers still want them ...

But then came the French Matra-Simca Rancho in 1977 and introduced the term in the automobile industry. Now, every automaker has a crossover vehicle in its lineup and one of the best in the class ...

In a little over a decade under Chrysler ownership, the company didn't build much in the way of cool cars, except maybe the too-little-too-late Matra-Simca Rancho.

When I was in my 20s there was only one car I ever dreamed of owning – a Matra Simca Rancho. With its raised roof, body-moulded side protectors and bonnet-mounted spotlights, in the late 1970s ...

Matra-Simca Rancho. See All 53 Photos. ... The Rancho was produced from 1977 to 1984—from 1980 to 1984 it was known as the Talbot-Matra Rancho—and examples are rare now thanks to rust and abuse.